Baseball glove



Aug. 20, 1929. w STUMPE 1,725,426

BASE BALL GLOVE Filed June 1, 1926 IN l/E/VTOQ, h -Z Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER F. STUMPE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL SPORTING GOODS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

BASEBALL GLOVE.

Application filed June 1,

My invention relates to base ball gloves and has for its principal object a glove or mitt in which the thumb is readily movable with respect to the body of the glove, in which the spacing of the thumb from the body may be adjusted and which is provided with a yieldable back stop for a ball disposed between the thumb and the body. The invention consists principally in a glove having a connecting web of leather or other suitable material disposed between the thumb and the body portion of the glove and loosely secured by laces, whereby it is free to yield when struck by a ball and whereby the space between the thumb and the body of the glove may be adjusted by adjusting the lacing.

The invention further consists in the glove and in the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawing is a plan view of a glove embodying my invention, the dotted line indicating a mitt.

The drawing illustrates a baseball glove, or mitt, comprising a body portion 1 and a thumb portion 2, the thumb being connected to the body portion by an adjustable web member 3. The full lines illustrate a glove having separate finger portions 4 and the dotted lines illustrate a mitt.

The web member 3 is of leather or other suitable material. It is disposed between the thumb 2 and the adjacent portion of the body 1 of the glove (that is between the thumb and the index finger portions) and is loosely or adjustably secured as by laces 5. Preferably the thumb and body portion of the glove have tabs 6 projecting therefrom, said tabs 6 and said web member 3 having holes 7 through which the laces 5 pass. The drawing illustrates separate laces 5, one connecting the web member with a tab of the body portion of the glove and the other connecting the web-member with the thumb tab. The size and shape of the web member 3 vary with the size and style of glove or mitt. Ordinarily it is trapezoidal in shape, the substantially parallel sides extending transversely of the thumb and body portions, and

1926. Serial No. 113,085.

the non-parallel sides extending along the edges of the tabs 6 and usually slightly spaced therefrom. It has suflicient area to conlstitute a plate-like backstop for a caught bal Obviously a single lace might be used instead of two separate laces.

The meeting ends of each lace are secured together as by tying. Obviously if the laces are drawn up tighter the thumb is pulled closer to the body of the glove, that is the thumb and index finger are brought closer together; and if the laces are lengthened or loosened, the thumb is permitted to pull farther away from the body of the glove thus increasing the distance between the thumb and index finger. When a ball caught in the glove strikes the web member, such web member by reason of its connections, together with the thumb and body portion of the glove, forms a pocket for the ball, the web member constituting a yielding back stop that is free to move as required by the impact of the ball. The ball can be removed from the pocket without danger of entangling the fingers in the thongs or laces.

Obviously numerous changes 'might be made without departing from the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A glove comprising a thumb and a body portion each having an elongated tab extending lengthwise thereof, a plate-like Web member interposed between said tabs and laces connecting said web member with said tabs respectively.

2. A glove comprising a thumb and a body portion each having an elongated tab extending lengthwise thereof, a trapezoidal web member interposed between said tabs and laces connecting said web member with said tabs respectively.

3. A glove comprising a thumb and a body portion spaced from each other, each having an elongated tab extending lengthwise thereof, and a plate-like web member interposed between said tabs and loosely laced thereto and filling a considerable portion of the spacetherebetween so as to form a backstop for a caught ball.

4. A glove comprising a thumb and a body portion spaced from each other, each having 5 a tab projecting therefrom and a trapezoidal web member of solid material interposed between said tabs and loosely laced thereto and filling a considerable portion of the space therebetween so as to form a backstop for a caught ball. 1

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 28 day of May 1926.

WALTER F. STUMPE. 

